Looking back, 2012 was indeed the year of the smart phone. From the release of the iPhone 5 to Windows 8 Phones, mobile phone lovers have never had so much choice and variety.
Although a newer presence in the market, Taiwanese manufacturer HTC have been just as busy as all the others. Here is an overview of what HTC came up with in terms of smart phones during the course of last year.
HTC 8S
The HTC 8S is a Windows Phone 8 that is most striking in appearance than other models in the HTC range.This pillow-like phone has a panel that is in a contrasting colour to the rest of the phone and opens to store the SIM card and microSD card slots. Meanwhile, the back of the phone is subtly embossed with the HTC and Beats by Dr. Dre logos and has a soft-matte finish. What results is a set of contrasting colour combinations that are modern, sophisticated and jazzy, and a phone that can be comfortably used with one hand.
The 8S has a 4 inch super LCD touch screen at 480 x 800 resolution, that is protected by Gorilla Glass. As such, the image is crisp and bright, with a balanced colour display. There is a 5 megapixel rear camera, however a frontal camera is lacking, making self-portraits a little more difficult to take. Photos are taken with a tap-take motion and can be edited with the default photo editor app. The 8S also runs on a 1GHz dual-core Qualcomm S4 Snapdragon that holds 512MB of RAM. These specs mean that some performance aspects are expected to have been compromised, but this would only be a deal breaker for serious phone users. For smooth every day use, the HTC 8S is more than a capable handset that comes at a more affordable price.
HTC ONE V
The HTC One V, released in April last year, is one of HTC’s Android 4.0 phones and has recently been updated by the HTC One SV. The One V brings back the famous “chin” that had been first introduced by the earlier HTC Legend and HTC Hero models, but adds some new tasteful details. The body is made of anodised aluminium and feels indestructible and smooth. Smaller than the HTC 8S, the One V sports a 3.7 inch display with a Super LCD 2 touch screen display and operates on a 1GHz processor with 512MG of RAM. The 1500mAh battery in the One V is commendable, giving a longer battery life than its One X predecessor.
All HTC phones are also audibly enhanced by Beats Audio these days. This feature ensures that any audio has a deeper bass and a more refined quality that was intended by artists.
The current HTC smartphone range offers something for everyone. From phones operating on different platforms, to different looks, to different features and functions, you’ll be sure that HTC has thought of it. Take a look for yourself, here.
